This invention relates to vehicular snowplows and, more particularly to a hinged snowplow which can be positioned to clear paths through deep snow, to push snow without spilling snow to either side of the vehicle, or to clear snow to either side of the vehicle. The invention also relates to a conversion kit and method for converting snowplows having rectilinear plow blades to those including hinged plow blades.
A common problem encountered with vehicular snowplows and especially plows with elongated, rectilinear blades adapted for use lighter vehicles such as pickup trucks, jeeps, and other personally owned vehicles, has been the inability of such plows to adapt to various snow-clearing needs. The word "rectilinear" is used to refer to blades having straight ground or surface engaging edges although the vertical cross section of the blade may be curved or straight. With existing rectilinear snowplows, snow may be cleared only to one side of the vehicle or to the other. When the blade is positioned across the front of the vehicle, the weight of the snow, especially if it is heavy wet snow, often makes the clearing of paths straight ahead difficult. Moreover, when a pile or mass of snow must be pushed to an out-of-the-way location such as when clearing parking lots and the like, prior snowplows have allowed snow to spill to one side of the vehicle or the other.
In recognition of the above problems, various types of hinged snowplows have been developed which allow lateral blade sections to be positioned in a forwardly extending V or in a recessed, cupped position for pushing snow. Typically, however, such hinged snowplows have included complex, complicated, and bulky mechanisms for hinging the various blade sections together to enable positioning of the blades in the above-mentioned positions. Moreover, such mechanisms have often been susceptible to break-down and have generally suffered from a lack of durability due to severe weather conditions and heavy loads.
An accompanying problem with many of the prior known hinged snowplow structures has been their inability to yield to fixed obstacles such as posts, rocks, or other projections extending from the surface being cleared of snow. If such an obstacle were struck with many of the prior structures, severe damage to the blade or the hinged structure or both would be sustained.
Additionally, the clearing of areas of snow substantially larger than the width of the clearing vehicle has been time consuming and difficult. While prior structures have been devised for providing extensions for the ends of existing plows, such structures have also been complicated, expensive, and suffered from a lack of durability.
Yet another problem encountered with snowplows is the expense in converting to use of a hinged plow from a more standard rectilinear rigid plow blade. Prior to the present invention, it has been necessary to completely remove the rigid plow and substitute a completely different hinged unit. The present invention is adapted to provide a simple, yet effective apparatus and method for converting a standard rectilinear plow blade to a hinged blade unit.